<p>Our new graduate is working and living on his own (with a roommate). His salary is right around $30,000. We are helping with two of his monthly bills totalling less than $150. What do you help with, if anything, and how much?</p>
<p>I might pick up a bill or two (utilities or maybe a cell phone). I do know some parents who are paying the student loan while the kid is getting on their feet (which the kid is just starting to turn it around and will be taking the student loan back shortly).</p>
<p>That is about how much I started making, and with my student loans I couldn’t afford to move out, so I guess my parents paid most of my bills. I lived with them rent free, they bought groceries, I was still on the family cell phone plan (it was $5, which my parents wouldn’t let me give them), they gave me an old car to drive and paid the insurance. I paid for gasoline, student loans, and incidentals (and I bought my employers $200/mo health insurance). . That made up about 3/4ths of my salary and I saved the rest. A lot of it went into work clothes since I didn’t live at home long, those first few months were expensive.</p>
<p>When I moved out, they kept paying the $5 cell phone until I decided to go on my fiance’s plan, and they kept paying my car insurance (plpd) until I got my own car. When my old car died my parents offered me $100 a month towards the lease of a new car if I would go to their dealer that day and pick out the cheapest one instead of buying another junker they’d have to worry about me driving. So that’s what I did. Two years post-grad the $100 for the car (and my wedding!) is the only thing they pay.</p>
<p>My parents were a lot more generous after college than they were while I was there.</p>
<p>My kids live on their own and pay their own bills. The 24 yo’s dad has her on his insurance because her job doesn’t offer an affordable option and he doesn’t mind paying for it, but imo if a person is living on their own, employed FT, they get to pay their own way.</p>
<p>My salary was a little over 40K but living in NYC when I was starting out, and it wasn’t impossible to make it on my own. My parents did help with security deposit and first month rent. Personally, I think there is great value and pride that comes from doing it on your own.</p>
<p>I don’t pay any of D2’s bills. She earns under $30K. She understood this would be the case when she graduated. She pays her own health & car insurance, car maintenance & repairs, cell phone plan, rent, utilities, food, entertainment, vacation & travel expenses. I did pay for the flights for all of her med school interviews and we split the cost of her application fees. (I did the same for her older sister.)</p>
<p>I have one who moved back home, but he pays the rent and all of his bills. I’m banking his rent and will give it to him some day when he’s looking to buy a house, get married or other milestone. </p>
<p>Some bills, I’ve paid for my starving actor son–health insurance and medical/dental costs. Transporation to here and back, cell phone (was on our plan), security deposit, some opportunities that arise. Also handouts here and there when we saw him. It’s been a while, and he seems to be handling his expenses much better, knock on wood. </p>
<p>What you don’t want to have happen is for your child to get used to living on more than he is making, (the rationale behind the rent we charge) and to learn to budget on his income, but still you may want to be there to help out. Do you really want him to lose that tooth because he can’t afford a root canal? Forego physical therapy for an injury because he can’t manage the copays? Not come to a family wedding because he can’t swing the airfare? On the other hand, I 'm not paying his rent and very basic expenses. If he can’t live there, he can come home, but I’m not going to support him. Cell phone I paid for a while because he was on the family plan and I just didn’t address the matter after school. He’s now on a plan with his brother, but I would have probably kept him on mine.</p>
<p>We still have both Ds on our cell phone (although D1 probably earns four times what D2 earns), only because it’s cheaper for them to be part of a family plan, and I’m too lazy to go after them for the few dollars a month that it is.</p>
<p>Probably our biggest expense is continuing to carry D2 on our auto insurance. D2 is also still on our health insurance, but again, I think it’s just a few extra dollars a month ($10 or less) to do this. She has several part-time ‘employers’, and I’m pretty sure none offer health insurance.</p>
<p>We also still pay for most of their trips home.</p>
<p>D, a musician, lives in Europe, has a fairly well paying job (for a musician 
) but still makes less than $30,000. We do not pay any bills whatsoever. Her choice.</p>
<p>She lives in a place with fantastic public transportation and with her work visa, she also qualifies for the socialized medicine. If she was here in the US, I would probably help her out with medical insurance.</p>
<p>Medical and car insurance; cell phone; other medical not covered by insurance; student loans.</p>
<p>He is living in an extremely high cost area. As his salary increased we dropped phone and car insurance. He now has medical from work. I still pay the other medical not covered and decided to keep on paying the student loans.</p>
<p>He is in an industry hard to break into, film, and salaries are not high. He was just able to afford to move into his own apartment without having roommates. I have been urging him to open an IRA. His car is also now 10 years old. So we’ll see what else we need to do.</p>
<p>Kiddo is looking for a part-time job and plans on paying those bills himself. I am thrilled that he found a job, is living on his own and is mostly self supporting. I thought he was going to be living in my basement!!!</p>
<p>Health insurance! I would scrub floors to make sure my kids have good health insurance.</p>
<p>We gave repayment of their Direct Loans to each kiddo as a graduation gift. So we pay those loan payments as well. They are a drop in the bucket compared to paying the college bills!</p>
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<p>Ditto! (10 char)</p>
<p>we pay the student loans but that was always the plan, we pay half rent until next month. health and dental. She is very intent on doing it on her own, and will takeover her rent, when her full time job kicks in. nextmonth</p>
<p>S1 (2013 grad) is working full time and making decent money. He is currently living at home (although this is temporary) because he works about 3 miles from our house. We pay for his car insurance, cell phone bill and he remained on our health insurance. </p>
<p>He plans on moving to a different city in the near future (is looking for jobs now) so the idea was to help him save as much as possible until he moves. So far, he has managed to save a decent amount in a 401k and another investment account. I think we will re-evaluate when/if he moves.</p>
<p>We have friends that are still paying for their married 30-something “kid’s” cell phones and car insurance! I don’t want to be that person!!</p>
<p>I would envision keeping them on the cell phone plan - just seems silly to decouple and have them pay more. I would also envision paying for trips home, and being generous when coming to visit. I know when I was a young married, my parents would come see me and not only would we go out to nice dinners, they’d buy me some (at the time, business-appropriate) clothing. It was a nice treat / indulgence.</p>
<p>My oldest three stayed on our cell phone plan because it was just easier, and the subject just did not come up. One had an opportunity for a deal and they each broke of to join him, so no more. The oldest was paying his share of the cell phone usage at that time, and I think the third one would have joined him in kind. My second is in no such position, and I have a feeling his brothers carry him on that.</p>
<p>Yes, I do pay the way of the ones who are away to come home at times, though one is now truly doing it all on his own, and when here I do indulge them, whether they need it or not. Part of being a parent, mom. I think that’s perfectly normal. </p>
<p>Where it becomes an obligation that I’d prefer not to be taking, but do, is when there are bills that crop up, medical in particular, that need to be addressed. My one son who goes off our insurance soon-- I’ll be paying his premium this first year. I’m afraid he won’t bother if it’s too tight. I’ve insisted on his getting dental and other medical treatment, and paid as he would not go because he has no extra funds. If I invite him to the house, I know that he’s hardpressed to come up with the train fare, so I usually provide it or get a ride for him,usually one of his brothers.</p>
<p>Do what feels right for you.
We still cover the cell phone of our oldest. We also send her a small amount each month to help with her living costs.She pays her own health insurance. She lives in a very expensive city. She is frugal, a hard worker and we don’t mind helping her out.
Our next lived at home after college. We did not charge him rent. I did have him pay us for his cell and car insurance. He is now moved out and he pays most of his own expenses. He can afford it. We still pay his health insurance.</p>
<p>My daughter graduated in 2012. She is determined to be out on her own. With that said she has a part-time job that pays fairly decently. She covers her own rent, food, one of her school loans, the other one was deferred because of her salary. She is still on our health plan, cell phone family plan, and she has an easy pass metrocard that we pay for. I have helped pay for rent and food on occasion. When I visit her, we may have a few grocery bags, i buy some items like socks, a winter coat, etc.</p>
<p>I find this discussion surprising and perhaps a sign of the times. For those paying kids bills and health insurance…I am curious…did your parents do same for you? H and I both got our first jobs after college grad, and I would have never dreamed of having my parents pay a bill for me after that. But we were double income, no kids, and not struggling. I imagine things are different for today’s graduates.</p>